Walking Dead: Raven
by LokisKat13
Summary: Raven is a young woman with a troubled past. She gets accepted into the group, but can she face her inner demons? Sorry I suck at summaries.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

"That's the last of the gas," said the woman as she tossed the empty container into the back of the truck. She brushed her scarlet-red hair, which was soaked in sweat, back from her forehead and compulsively touched the handgun at her hip. She sighed, taking a sip of water from the gallon jug.

The man inside the truck spat out the window, narrowly missing the woman's boots. "Well, that's just great," he grumbled, resting his wrists on the worn steering wheel. "How much longer until we reach this damned place?" When she didn't answer, he snapped, "Raven! How much longer?"

The young woman resisted the urge to glare. She knew it would just anger him more, and she wasn't in the mood for another bruise. "About another two hours, maybe three," she said, screwing the cap back on the jug. She set in on her seat, leaving it between the driver's and passenger's. "Gas should last us that long," she mused, her hands busy pulling her hair up into a knot at the top of her head. She then pulled her worn cowboy hat on, the edges holding her hair off her neck. "If not, then we'll have to find more. Or walk."

The man scoffed. "The hell we will," he snapped. "I ain't walkin'. You'll just have to find more." His beady gray eyes glared at her, his graying hair plastered to his scalp from the sweat.

"Calm down, Al," Raven said as she slid into her seat and shut her door. "We should make it."

Without warning, he backhanded the tender part of her left arm. She bit her lip, flinching back as he raised his hand again. "Don't you tell me to calm down again, bitch," he said, anger twisting his face. He gave her a final glare before starting the engine, turning away from her.

Raven gently rubbed her arm, which was starting to turn red. She chewed on her bottom lip as she pulled on a pair of opaque sunglasses, turning to stare out the window. For what she was sure was the millionth time that week, she wished her mother had married someone else, wished that he had been the one to die in the accident instead of her mother, and, more than anything else, wished she was strong enough and brave enough to leave him and go on her own.

Sighing, she leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes, drifting into an easy sleep. She dreamt of her mother, of happier times back when Raven was ten; before the outbreak, before the depression, even before Al.

After what seemed like only five minutes to Raven, Al was roughly shaking her awake. "We're here, girl," he said, slowly pulling up to an army barricade.

Raven sat forward in her seat, glancing around at all of the dead soldiers and civilians. "This isn't what I was hoping for," she said, her voice low.

Suddenly, an explosion caused them to duck down. Raven gasped, quickly stepping out of the cab of the truck. She jumped into the bed, picking up one of the rifles as people began running from the CDC.

"Raven, pay attention!" Al shouted as an infected bounced off the back of the truck.

She turned and began shooting the infected people, who began swarming, attracted to the noise. She heard echoing gunfire as the group of people began killing them as well.

While she reloaded, she heard Al trying to restart the truck. He cursed. "IT's dead!" he yelled, throwing his door open. He snatched one of their camping bags and hefted it, grabbing at his guns. "Let's go!" He took off, heading towards the group.

Raven quickly pulled on her own bag, picking up the two remaining guns. She heard Al begging the group to let them join. As she ran, she shot another infected. Al quickly climbed into an RV, the door slamming shut. Raven ran faster, seeing two more people running from the CDC building. The two ducked behind a wall of sandbags. Wondering why, Raven turned in time to see the CDC explode. She was thrown backwards by the rush of air, her ears ringing from the blast. Completely dazed, she struggled to roll over.

A man appeared beside her, jerking her up and holding onto her arm as they ran towards the vehicles. The world was still spinning for Raven, who's ears still echoed from the blast.

The man rushed her into a seat of a blue and white pick-up truck, yelling words that Raven couldn't hear. Once she was in, he raced toward the drivers side, and they began following the other three vehicles, lead by the RV.

Raven sat there, trembling as she clutched the guns to her chest. Soon, her hearing returned. She turned to the man. "Thanks," she said, her voice hoarse.

"You are a motherfuckin' crazy man," he drawled.

For some reason, this struck Raven as funny. She laughed once. "Crazy, yes," she said, pulling off her cowboy hat and letting her hair fall down her back. "Man, no." She smirked as he glanced at her and huffed.

"Great," he mumbled barely loud enough for her to hear, "another fuckin' washerwoman."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter One

Raven stood next to Al as the six men from the group talked together, occasionally eying them. Raven shifted nervously from foot to foot, biting her lip. She knew that they were debating on whether or not to let them stay. She dearly prayed that they could.

As soon as they had gotten far enough from the CDC and found a clearing, the caravan had stopped. Raven wasn't told anything as the man in a sheriff's uniform had walked over, followed by a man with curly black hair.

"Who are you and why were you at the CDC?  
the deputy had demanded, his eyes shifting between All and Raven. When they didn't answer right away, he asked again.

"I'm Raven DuMont, and this is my stepfather, Al Mutts," she said, her cobalt eyes wide. "I was a med-student at Ole Miss and heard that the CDC could offer answers."

The officer glanced at the other man, whose black eyes worried Raven a little.

"How does a med-student know how to use this?" he held up her rifle, which was a Winchester Model 70 Sporter Deluxe.

Raven brushed her hair from her face. "My father used to take me hunting before he died," she said quietly. "After his funeral, my grandfathers did the same until their own deaths. When I get the free time, I sometimes go to the shooting range to keep practice."

Another man joined them, an older gentleman. "What did you do before all of this?" he asked, looking at Al.

"Didn't work," he grunted, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Al worked construction until he injured his back in a big accident," Raven explained, glancing at Al to see if he showed any signs of being angry.

As the other men from the group joined them, they were told to wait while they talked. Now, Raven was holding her breath, her heart pounding in her ears while they debated.

"I saw we grab our guns and go," Al grumbled low, glaring.

"We can't be on our own forever, Al," she reasoned.

"What's the point? They ain't gonna let us join 'em."

Raven chewed on her lip. "We don't know that."

Al was about to comment again when the deputy walked over, holding Raven's rifle. "If we let you come with us, you'll have to pull your own weight," he said, glancing between the two. "Won't nobody take care of you while you sit around."

Raven let out the breath she'd been holding and smiled. "We will," she promised.

He held out her gun and she took the familiar weight into her arms. "You're a hell of a shot," he said as the rest of the group began walking up to them. Raven smiled at the complement as a thin brunette woman came to stand by the deputy, followed by a young boy. "I'm Rick Grimes. This is my wife, Lori, and our son, Carl." They both smiled wanly at her, Carl a little more enthusiastically than his mother.

"I'm Dale Horvath," said the older gentleman, holding out his hand to Raven and Al. She shook it. He didn't. "That's Andrea," Dale said, motioning towards the blonde woman.

"I'm Carol and this is my daughter, Sophia," said the woman with gray hair. Raven smiled at the little girl, fighting back memories.

"I-I'm Glenn," the young Asian man said, glancing at them and looking away nervously.

"T-Dog," said the black man, grinning a little.

"I'm Raven," she smiled at them all. "This is Al. Thank you for letting us join you." As she was talking, the man with the dark hair walked away angrily. As he passed the man with the crossbow, Raven realized she didn't know either of their names.

"Ignore Shane," Rick said as the dark-haired man began going through his jeep. Raven nodded, biting her lip again. Rick began giving out instructions. The others hurried to comply, knowing that the infected could be on them at any moment.

Raven went over to the pick-up she'd ridden in with the crossbow wielder. He was busy getting the motorcycle out of the bed while she gathered her things. "I'm Raven," she said, glancing at him. He didn't even look up from his task. "What's your name?"

"What's it to ya?" he grunted, easing the bike down a rusty ramp.

Raven bit back the sarcastic comment that danced on the tip of her tongue. Instead, she smiled. "So I know who to thank for helping me," she said, putting her cowboy hat back on, along with her sunglasses.

He glanced at her then, his brow furrowed as if trying to decide if she was making fun of him or if she was serious. "Daryl," he grumbled, propping the bike up on the kickstand. He began retrieving things from the truck, refusing to look at her.

"Well," she said, walking around to stand beside him, "thank you for saving me, Daryl." With that, she kissed his cheek and walked away, not looking back.

Daryl froze, shock written in his eyes as he watched the newcomer get into the RV, followed by Shane, Andrea, and Glenn. Daryl glared as he tossed his bag into the back of Rick's truck before mounting his bike.

And so they began their long journey to Fort Benning

*WALKING DEAD*WALKING DEAD*WALKING DEAD*

Raven sat on the floor between Dale and Glenn, her shoulder leaning against Glenn's seat while he consulted the roadmap in his lap. Dale was talking about the time he and his wife went to a fair and rode the Ferris wheel while drinking beer. He chuckled as he recalled how his wife had gotten so motion sick and thrown up, blaming Dale the whole time. Raven soon found that she liked hearing the older man talk. She found it relaxing and comforting.

Shane, whom Raven didn't fully trust, was sitting at the bench-table, cleaning his guns. Every now and then he'd look up, his black eyes wandering around the RV. Raven thought he reminded her of a caged animal, ready to spring at a moments notice.

Andrea sat with him, watching him work with the weapons. She hadn't really talked to anyone, and Dale told Raven that she was still mourning the loss of her sister.

T-Dog was asleep on the bed in the back, and Al was using a blanket as a pillow in the narrow hallway.

Carol and Sophia were riding in the truck behind the RV with Rick and his family. Raven liked the little girl, who had a sweet smile. The night before, when they had stopped to make camp, Raven had sat beside the little girl who liked to play with Raven's long hair. It made Raven smile as the tiny fingers braided and twisted through the tangles.

Smiling to herself, Raven stretched her back, glancing through the windshield. She could just see Daryl on his bike, weaving around the dead and over-turned vehicles. Since she thanked him yesterday, she'd avoided him. She ahd spent the entire day questioning herself as to why she'd kissed his cheek. The only answer she could come up with was to see if she could ruffle that rough, surly redneck exterior. It seemed she only made him angrier, since each time he'd look at her, he was glaring.

"Oh, jeez," Dale said, slowing the RV. Raven stood up and saw an over-turned 18-wheeler in the middle of the road. Dale sighed. "Aw, no." He stopped as Shane and Andrea stood up.

Al and T-Dog came from the back, all of them trying to see what the holdup was. Raven sighed, glancing to Dale as Daryl drove up to the window.

"See a way through?" the old man asked.

Daryl glanced back over his shoulder then looked up into the RV. He caught Raven's worried gaze and motioned back towards the wreckage. He drove back towards Rick as Dale eased the RV around a parked car.

"Uh, maybe we should just go back," Glenn suggested. "There's an interstate bypass-"

"We can't spare the fuel," Dale interrupted as Daryl slipped in front of them on his bike. He eased them forward, winding cautiously around the stalled cars.

"Jeez," Glenn mumbled, looking at the emptiness. He looked shocked. "Can we get through here?"

Not a moment after he asked that a loud clanging noise came from the engine and steam began rising from the hood as the engine sputtered. Dale groaned as he pulled forward a few more feet and turned the ignition off. Sighing he made his way to the door, the others following.

"I said it," he said, glaring at the front of the RV. "Didn't I say it? A thousand times. Dead in the water."

Shane, who looked agitated, glanced around at the vehicles. "Problem, Dale?" he asked his voice laced with sarcasm.

"Just a small matter of being in stuck in the middle of nowhere with no hope of-" He trailed off as Daryl walked up and reached into an abandoned car. "Okay that was dumb."

Raven smiled, standing beside Glenn as the others came up to see the problem.

"If you can't find a radiator hose here..." Shane trailed off.

"There's a whole bunch of stuff we can find," Daryl said, still looking in the back of the vehicle.

T-Dog stepped forward. "I can siphon more fuel from these cars for a start."

"Maybe some water," Carol suggested, her arm around Sophia.

"Food," Glenn added.

They had started moving when Lori spoke. "This is a graveyard," she said, causing everyone to look at her. "I don't know how I feel about this."

Raven looked at her. "Graveyard it may be, but would you rather your son starve if there's food out there?" She started forward, her gun slung across her back. "Hell, we need it more than they do," she said over her shoulder. As she made her way to an empty car, she could feel the stares of the others on her back. A she was looking through the center console, she spied the others moving towards vehicles, some more hesitant than others. Andrea just went inside the RV.

T-Dog walked past Raven, carrying hose and gas containers. He gave her a grin and a nod which she returned as she moved to the trunk. Inside she found a suitcase laden with clothes. She pulled it out and carried it back to the RV, setting it beside the front tire. As she turned back around, she caught Lori's eye. "We're going to need a change of clothes soon," Raven explained. To her surprise, Lori nodded and began searching her own vehicle.

Feeling rather accomplished, Raven moved further down, searching through cars and trucks, pocketing things. At one car she found a thin blanket, and began using that to carry things. She glanced around and saw Daryl and T-Dog siphoning gas. She nodded to herself as she added another can of food to her bundle. As it was getting full, she headed back to the RV to unload it. Dale was on top of the vehicle, his binoculars pressed to his eyes while Glenn worked on the engine. Raven spied Carol holding a red shirt against her chest, admiring it.

As Raven came close to Rick, he whispered to her, "We don't need to stay here long."

She nodded, and hurried up to another car, passing the others. She couldn't find anything in the front seat besides a mummified corpse. Thankful that there was no smell, she began going through the backseat, where she found a sewing kit, a few bottles of water, a bag of dehydrated fruit, and many blankets and pillows. She shifted the blankets to a clear spot and began adding the food and water. She sat on the seat, going through a bookbag that was loaded down with water, canned foods, even a book.

A cold feeling went down Raven's spine, and she turned in the seat in time to see the others duck under cars. Curious, she was about to slide from the seat when she spotted them. Walkers. A massive herd of them. Raven froze, then laid down in the seat, pulling blankets over her. She slipped a knife from her boot and held it tight, just in case she needed it.

Hardly daring to breathe, she listened as hard as she could as the Walkers shuffled by, groaning softly. Each time one of them bumped the car, Raven winced, waiting for it to investigate the inside where she was. She bit her lip to keep it from trembling as it seemed like an eternity for the Walkers to go by. Even after the shuffling stopped, she didn't want to move, for fear that some lingered. The heat beneath the blankets caused her to become positively soaked in sweat. She took a steadying breath, slowly relaxing.

Then she heard a soft scream.

Throwing the blankets off, she struggled to get out of the car as she saw Rick disappear into the woods. She saw Lori holding a sobbing Carol and her blood went cold. "Sophia" she whispered, running back to the group.

"Rick went after Sophia" Dale told her as she came to a stop next to him. "Two Walkers saw her and chased her." Raven nodded, wiping sweat from her face.

"Hey!" called Daryl, and they all turned to see him practically dragging a barely conscious T-Dog.

"What happened?" Shane demanded. "He bit?"

"Cut his arm on some metal," Daryl answered as he eased T-Dog to the pavement.

"Can you do something?" Dale asked Raven, who dropped her bag.

She approached him, wincing at the amount of blood covering his shirt. "Do you have a medical kit?" she asked Dale. "He'll need stitches." She knelt beside the injured man.

"Here," Dale said, handing her the red box. "But it doesn't have anything for stitches in it."

Raven pressed a rag to the wound, hoping to stop the bleeding. "Al, look in that blanket for a sewing kit," she said. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the look in her stepfather's eye as he glared at her but complied. She knew she'd pay for giving him an order, but she didn't care at that particular moment. He tossed it at her feet. "Dale, can you get out some thread and a needle, as well as the bottle of alcohol from the medicine kit?"

As the older man did as she asked, she looked to T-Dog. "I don't have anything to numb your arm while I stich it," she said apologetically. "It'll hurt."

He half chuckled weakly. "Damn thing is numb already," he said.

Raven smiled reassuringly as Dale handed her the alcohol-soaked needle, which was already threaded. She took a deep breath, removed the rag, and began to stitch. T-Dog groaned, but held still, his good hand balled into a fist. "Okay, I was wrong," he said through gritted teeth.

"I'm sorry," Raven said, biting her lip. She hated causing pain.

"Just do it," he said, looking away as she continued.

It took her twenty minutes to get him sewn up. Once she was finished, she dumped more alcohol over the arm before taping gauze to it. She helped him into the RV and laid him down on the bed.

As she walked outside, she wiped the blood from her hands. She looked to Dale, who was on the RV again. "Where is everyone?" she asked.

"Rick and Daryl are looking for Sophia," he said. "The others are moving cars and searching for more supplies."

Now that he pointed it out, she could hear the sound of one car pushing another. She gave Dale an apologetic grin. "I tone everything out while I'm working," she said. She glanced up at the darkening sky as Dale climbed down.

Raven went to help with the search as Andrea approached Dale. She looked furious and Raven didn't want to hear what was going to be said. She saw Al leaning against a truck, a pile of things at his feet. Sighing and bracing herself, she walked up to him.

"I am so-"

His slap across her cheek cut her off as her head whipped around.

"Don't you **ever** tell me what to do again," he growled, his beady eyes glaring. Sweat soaked his gray hair. "Understand me?"

Raven nodded as he walked away. Blinking away tears, she began gathering the things he'd left. She carried it back to the RC, her cheek stinging. Sighing, she spotted Dale standing next to Shane and Glenn.

"Oh, God, they're back," Glenn said, setting down his crate.

Raven did the same as everyone rushed to the edge of the road to see Rick and Daryl return. Without Sophia.

"Oh, you didn't find her," Carol sobbed, placing her hands against her mouth.

"Her trail went cold," Rick said, climbing over the metal guardrail. "We'll pick it up again at first light."

"You can't leave my daughter out there on her own," Carol said as Lori approached, "to spend the night alone in the woods."

"Out in the dark's no good," Daryl said, his crossbow slung across his shoulder. "We'd just be tripping over ourselves. More people'd get lost."

"But she's twelve," Carol said. "She can't be out there on her own. You didn't find anything?"

Raven listened for a little longer, then went up to Dale. Holding back tears, she shouldered her gun. "I'll take first watch."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Two

Dinner that night was quiet each of them quietly spooning up mouthfuls of stew. Except for Carol. She refused to eat, only retiring to the RV. Dale said that, when he went in to check on her and T-Dog, she had cried herself to sleep in the booth.

Raven sat on top of the RV, eating the bowl of stew that Dale brought to her. She smiled in thanks before he left. Then she was left along with her thoughts.

Sophia missing brought back memories that Raven had tried to keep buried for years. Even now, as she was keeping watch, the memories came flooding back. She began to tremble as tears began to form in her eyes, the back of her throat burning. She bit down hard on her lip, refusing to let herself cry.

Taking a deep breath, she looked through the scope of her rifle, searching for any movement. She slowly turned in a full circle, scanning the tree line as well as the highway. She lingered on the trees, searching until her eyes burned. "Come on, Sophia," she whispered, scanning slowly. "Please!"

The door to the RV opened quietly, and Raven lowered her gun. She hadn't realized it had gotten so late, and was time for Dale to take over watch. He climbed onto the top of the RV, smiling through a yawn.

"Morning," he whispered, stretching his arms above his head.

"Morning," Raven replied, her voice hoarse. She cleared her throat, hoping that helped. "No movement so far." She picked up her blanket, folding it up.

"You've been quiet tonight," Dale observed. "Are you all right?"

She slowed her movements, looking at her hands. When she spoke, it was hesitant. "I don't think...I'm ready to talk about it just yet, Dale," she said, looking up at him. "When I am, I'll come to you."

He nodded, and Raven climbed down from the RV. Not wanting to go into the crowded vehicle, she climbed on top of a SUV. Using her blanket as a pillow, she rested her gun beside her. It seemed like hours before she could close her eyes, but when she finally did, she fell into a deep sleep.

*WALKING DEAD*WALKING DEAD*WALKING DEAD*

"Everybody takes a weapon," Rick said as he unrolled an arrangement of knives, hatchets, and machetes.

"These aren't the kind of weapons we need," Andrea protested, her arms folded across her chest. "What about the guns?"

Shane spoke up from his place against the RV. "We've been over that," he said, looking up. "Daryl, Rick, and I are carrying. We can't have people popping off rounds every time a tree rustles."

"It's not the trees I'm worried about," Andrea said.

"Say somebody fires are the wrong moment," Shane mused, "a herd happens to be passing by. See, then it's game over for all of us. So you need to get over it." He slung his pack onto his shoulder.

Raven looked up from where she was packing her bag, not meeting anyone's gaze as her hair fell in front of her face. She knew she had a bruise on her left cheek, and didn't want any questions.

"The idea is to take the creek up about five miles," Daryl instructed, "turn around and come back down the other side. Chances are she'll be by the creek. It's her only landmark."

"Stay quiet and stay sharp," Rick said to the group. "Keep space between you but always stay within sight of each other."

"Everybody assemble your packs," Shane said, tossing a bottle of water to Rick.

Raven moved away, hefting her bag onto her shoulders. She felt oddly vulnerable without her rifle, but she knew that silence was a priority. While the others packed, she moved to stand next to the guardrail. Everyone was going on the search, except for Dale, T-Dog, and Al. Dale had to work on the RV, and T-Dog wasn't recovered enough from the blood loss to search through the woods for hours. Al volunteered to stay behind and keep an eye out while Dale worked. It allowed Raven to relax, knowing that he wouldn't be coming with them.

"Rick said you're good at tracking," Daryl said, his voice gruff as he moved to stand on her right. She didn't look at him as she nodded. "Stay up by me, see if you can locate a trail that may venture off." He climbed over the guardrail and moved to stand at the tree line, waiting for the others.

Raven stared at him, barely hearing Andrea as she yelled at Dale. She was dumbstruck. Daryl had gone out of his way to avoid her for nearly four days, and now he was telling her to stick close to him. _"Doesn't mean anything by it,"_ she told herself. _"He just wants another tracker's help to find the little girl."_ She climbed over the railing, moving to stand a little bit away from Daryl as she adjusted her sunglasses and cowboy hat. The others soon joined.

Daryl lead the way through the woods, his crossbow drawn and ready. Raven followed, her hunting knife strapped to her waist. Then came Rick, Andrea, a weeping Carol, Glenn, Carl, Lori, and Shane, who held his rifle ready.

Raven let the sounds of nature wash over her as she adjusted to the familiar feeling of the forest. She heard Carl talking to Shane, but couldn't focus on what they were saying. She kept her eyes focused on the ground, looking for any tracks that Daryl might've missed. The group spread out a little, keeping within eyesight as ordered.

Soon, they came upon a tent. Daryl and Rick had them stop. Raven put her hand to her knife, ready for any danger that might happen. The group crouched low, keeping silent as Rick and Daryl began investigating the tent.

"Carol," Rick called softly, and the quiet woman hurried to them, Shane following. He began whispering to her as Daryl positioned himself at the tent flap.

"Sophia, sweetie," Carol called out softly, barely loud enough for the others to hear. "Are you in there? Sophia, it's Mommy. Sophia, we're all here, baby. It's Mommy."

When nothing happened, Rick and Shane stepped forward to stand on either side of Daryl, who slowly unzipped the tent flap. He looked inside, then coughed as if something bothered him.

Raven felt her hope whither slightly, and began scanning the ground for tracks. She heard Rick gagging as Carol called out to Daryl, who had disappeared inside the tent. A moment later, he stepped out.

"It ain't her," he said, taking a deep breath.

"What's in there?" Andrea asked.

"Some guy," he replied. "Did what Jenner said. Opted out." He check his crossbow before slinging it over his shoulder. "Ain't that what he called it?"

Suddenly church bells began ringing. They all tried to focus on the direction it came from. Rick pointed, and they all began hurrying quietly, Rick taking the lead, followed by Shane and Daryl. Raven kept pace behind the gruff redneck, her heart hammering in her chest. As the bells stopped, they came to a halt.

"What direction?" Shane asked, glancing around.

"I think that way," Rick said, pointing. "I'm pretty sure."

Shane stood on a tree stump. "Damn, it's hard to tell out here."

Carol walked beside Glenn. "If we hear them, maybe Sophia does too," she said hopefully.

"Someone's ringing those bells," Glenn said, "maybe calling others."

"Or signaling that they found her," Andrea ventured.

"She could be ringing them herself," Rick said, leading the way. "Come on." They hurried along quietly.

A few minutes later, a white church came into view. The group stood at the edge of a small graveyard.

"That can't be it," Shane said. "Got no steeple, no bells." Rick didn't listen, and Shane tried calling him back as he took off running toward the church, followed by the others.

They walked around to the front of the building, where Rick, Daryl, and Shane readied themselves in front of the red doors. They opened them quietly, revealing a small chapel. Inside were three Walkers. Rick and Shane each killed the males, while Daryl dispatched the female.

Raven stood on the steps while everyone went inside. A cold chill erupted throughout her body as flashbacks assaulted her memories. Leaving the church after her mother died when she was seventeen; going home to a drunken Al; him beating her until she was barely conscious; him saying how he always loved little church girls as he stole her innocence.

She began gasping as she recalled each time her abused her, and she raced away from the doorway of the church, standing in the middle of the graveyard. She wrapped her arms around herself, tears falling as her repressed memories became fresh in her mind. She was so lost in her own memories, she didn't hear anything that was going on around her. Finally, after feeling like she's calmed down enough to face the others, she wipes the tears from her face. She turned around, and smacked into Daryl.

They reached out, grasping each other's arms. "Watch it," Daryl huffed. Then his eyes focused on her face. He lifted her chin to get a better view of her cheek. "What happened?"

"I fell getting down from the RV last night" she lied.

"Bullshit," he said. "That's an even worse excuse than 'I walked into a door'."

She jerked her chin away. "Well, it's what happened," she said, backing away from him. She walked over to Glenn and the others. When she glanced over her shoulder, Daryl was still watching her. She wiped at her tears again before rejoining the group as Shane was walking up to them.

"Y'all gonna follow the creek bed back," he said. "Okay, Daryl, you're in charge. Me and Rick, we're just gonna hang back, search this area for another hour or so just to be thorough."

"You're splitting us up," Daryl said, eying Shane. "You sure?"

Shane sighed. "Yeah, we'll catch up to you."

"I want to stay, too," Carl said, looking from Rick to Lori. "I'm her friend."

There was a moment of silence as Lori and Rick gazed at each other. "Just be careful, okay?" Lori said, kissing Carl's forehead.

"I will," he promised.

"When did you start growing up?" Lori wondered as she hugged him.

Rick walked up to her and embraced her. "I'll be along soon enough," he said.

Raven began walking back towards the trees, Glenn beside her. A few minutes later, the rest of the group joined them. They began their long walk to the creek, Daryl leading the way. Raven did her best to walk a distance from him, but she couldn't stop her gaze from returning to the redneck repeatedly. His eyes, just as often as hers, would find their way back to her.

"So this is it?" Carol asked, breaking the silence. "This the whole plan?" She sat on a log.

"I guess the plan is to whittle us down into smaller and smaller groups," Daryl said as everyone stopped for a rest.

"Carrying knives and pointy sticks," Andrea agreed. She looked to Lori. "I see you have a gun."

The brunette looked up. "Why, you want it?" she asked. "Here, take it. I'm sick of the looks you're giving me." Andrea took the gun. "All of you," Lori said as she sat down. She looked to Carol. "Honey, I can't imagine what you're going through. And I would do anything to stop it. But you have got to stop blaming Rick. It's in your face every time you look at him. When Sophia ran, he didn't hesitate, did he? Not for a second. I don't know if any of us would have gone after her the way he did or made the hard decisions that he had to make or than anybody could have done it any differently." She paused before looking at the others. "Anybody?" When no one answered, she looked down. "Y'all look to him and blame him when he's not perfect. If you think you can do this without him, go right ahead. Nobody is stopping you." She took a drink from her water bottle.

Everyone sat in silence. Andrea handed the gun out to Lori, who took it after a moment.

"We should keep moving," the blonde said.

They all stood and began walking. As Raven passed Daryl, she reached out and touched his hand in apology. He nodded at her, and they moved on, Daryl walking by her side. Raven began to feel hope rise in her chest again.

Then the shot rang out, echoing through the trees.


End file.
